|
Home > RHI
> Censorship & Banned Books
Click
here to download a pdf (33mb) of RHI:
Censorship & Banned Books, or email
us for a free printed copy.
You can browse the magazine's contents
online below:
- Of
Special Note: An original poem by Billy
Collins, and some words from Random House.
- Professional
Organizations: Advice and wisdom from leading
organizations at the forefront of the battle against
censorship
- Teacher's
Guides: Methods and tools for use in the
classroom and in your career.
- Author
Spotlight: Nearly 30 authors, including
Maya Angelou, Judy Blume and Ray Bradbury, share their
experiences and perspectives on the topic.
- Professional Reading: Books
for school-wide reading and professional development.
- Reply
to RHI: Email us with your thoughts
about the magazine.
|
Rain: An Original Poem
by Billy Collins
In a poem that is simultaneously profound and accessible,
Billy Collins explores the ludicrous, but ultimately frightening,
repercussions of a society in which book banning is condoned.
(Download as
PDF)
Focus On: Censorship & Banned
Books
by Michael Gentile
Today, book burning is sometimes literal, sometimes metaphorical,
but the result is always the same: books disappear.
(Download
as PDF)
An Open Letter to Teachers and Librarians
by Pat Schroeder, AAP
Pat Schroeder, President and CEO of the Association of American
Publishers, has a message for those on the frontlines.
(Download as
PDF)
Book Censorship 2008: A View from
the Trenches
by Joan Bertin, NCAC
Joan Bertin, Executive Director of the National Coalition
Against Censorship (NCAC), looks at recent trends in book censorship
and offers advice for schools and school districts so they may
avoid or curb unnecessarily contentious, and divisive, debates.
(Download
as PDF)
Celebrate Your Freedom to Read During
Banned Books Week
by Judith Krug, ALA
The Director of the American Library Association's Office
of Intellectual Freedom discusses the history and possibilities
of Banned Books Week.
(Download as PDF)
Standing Up to One's Own Neighbors:
PEN American Center on the Greatest Struggle Against Censorship
by Larry Siems, PEN American Center
Larry Siems, Director of the Freedom to Write and International
Programs at PEN American Center, discusses the organization's
unwavering support for writers and free speech, from the days
of the Nazi book burnings to the more recent reporting of facts
during and after Hurricane Katrina.
(Download as PDF)
An Original Comic from Unshelved.com
by Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum, Unshelved.com
A humorous look at what librarians REALLY think about censorship.
(Download as
PDF)
Your Bookseller: A Friend of Free
Speech
by Christopher M. Finan, ABFFE
The president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free
Expression (ABFFE) discusses how booksellers have worked alongside
teachers and librarians for years, as well as his organization's
exciting new "Kids' Right to Read Project".
(Download as
PDF)
Bringing Literature to Life: Staging
Classic Works, and Confronting Authentic Language in the Modern
Classroom
by David Kener, The
American Place Theatre
The American Place Theatre's Executive Director David Kener
discusses the company's "Literature to Life Program"
and the rewards, and challenges, that come with staging classic
works of literature.
(Download as PDF)
Does Censorship Matter?
by Pat Scales
ALSC President Pat Scales' unequivocal answer is yes. Through
numerous examples, she demonstrates how censorship is detrimental
not only to children academically but also emotionally, as well
as how we may fight back.
(Download as PDF)
The Next Battleground: Audiobooks
and Censorship
by Teri S. Lesesne
With 30 years of successful work getting audiobooks accepted
as mainstream now behind her, 2007 ALAN Award recipient Teri S.
Lesesne now gears you up for what could be the next battle: censorship
of audiobooks and digital media.
(Download
as PDF)
Facing Our Fears: Integrating Challenging
New Books into 21st Century Curricula
by ReLeah Cossett Lent
ReLeah Cossett Lent admits that some books will be challenged.
Instead of pretending it can't happen, prepare yourself: know
the protocol for book complaints.
(Download as PDF)
Believe in What You Teach, Down to
the Comma: What My Experience with Censorship Taught Me About
Trust, Freedom and Standing Up For What You Believe
by Kimberly Horne
2007 NCTE/SLATE Award Winner Kimberly Horne discusses when
her school had to face either self-censorship or the loss of a
sizeable donation.
(Download as PDF)
Fighting for the Freedom to Read
by Erin Gruwell
Author of "The Freedom Writers Diary" reflects on
her book's being challenged in school districts across the nation,
including a high profile case in Indiana.
(Download as
PDF)
Those Who Burn Books
by Maya Angelou
One of our most celebrated poets, Maya Angelou, openly mourns
for those children who will be unable to read censored authors
like Vonnegut, Dickens, and herself.
(Download as
PDF)
Fahrenheit 451—55
Years Later
by Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury, author of one of the defining classics of the
twentieth century, recalls the origins of his legendary work and
reflects on its impact and influence throughout the world.
(Download as
PDF)
Where Even Gifts Are Censored: Introducing
John Wyndham's dystopian classic to a new generation of young
readers
by Edwin Frank
"The Chrysalids" offers an especially vivid picture
of a society ruled by dogmatism, with a special resonance for
young adult readers.
(Download as PDF)
The Future is Now: Marketing, Censorship
& Communication
by Thomas Nevins
Novelist Thomas Nevins envisions a future wherein marketing
trumps the message and people must communciate authentically in
order to hold on to their humanity.
(Download
as PDF)
A Dangerous Utopia
by Lois Lowry
Pretending that there are no choices to be made
in an increasingly frightening world—for example, reading
only books which are cheery and safe and nice—is a prescription
for disaster for the young.
(Download as PDF)
About Censorship...In Her Own Words
by Judy Blume
For Blume, book banning hurts children—their ability to
learn, love, grow, and think for themselves. The fear instilled
by censors, she argues, is just as damaging as censorship itself.
(Download as PDF)
Shakespeare & Censorship: A Roundtable
Discussion Featuring David Bevington, Eric Rasmussen, Ron Rosenbaum,
and Brandon Toropov
We asked four leading Shakespearean scholars to discuss the
Bard, his work, and the impact of censorship on the two both during
their time, and up through to the present day.
(Download as PDF)
A Letter to the Editor of the Charleston
Gazette
by Pat Conroy
Conroy's eloquent response to the banning of books should
be read by censors around the country. It is a moving testament
to his love of English and its teachers.
(Download as PDF)
Dangerous Words, Dangerous Ideas:
A Prescription for Literature that Lasts
by Jon Clinch
"Finn" author Jon Clinch discusses how Mark Twain's
use of ordinary language and humane portrait of a runaway slave
in the "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" confounded readers
of his own time, and continues to stir readers today.
(Download as PDF)
It Began With Cain: Why Violence
in Literature Cannot and Should Not Be Banned
by Phil LaMarche
If literature is to represent human experience, author Phil LaMarche
argues that violence cannot be excluded from the medium.
(Download as
PDF)
Censoring the Costs of War: Reading
The Souvenir
by Louise Steinman
"The Souvenir," based on censored letters written by
the author’s father during World War II, inspires students
to participate in honest conversations about the meaning and cost
of war.
(Download as
PDF)
"Don't throw these in the fire,
Fred. They have fire in them already."
by Ted Engelmann
A Viet Nam veteran, photographer, and educator reflects back on
his intimate experiences with one book while raising issues about
censorship and war propaganda.
(Download as
PDF)
This is Dedicated to Those Who Burn
Books: Charles Bock on himself, Kurt Vonnegut, and all those who
get burned
by Charles Bock
Author Charles Bock tells the story of how his own book, "Beautiful
Children," was literally burned and desecrated, and reflects
on the censored works of other authors, including Kurt Vonnegut.
(Download as PDF)
Coming After Us
by Salman Rushdie
Author Salman Rushdie discusses the influences of religion on
society and literature and the religious motivation that fueled
response to his novel, "Satanic Verses."
(Download as
PDF)
Hester Prynne and Me
by David Ebershoff
Author and Random House editor David Ebershoff wonders why Hawthorne's
"The Scarlet Letter" has not been banned, and he goes
on to draws parallels between Hawthorne's Hester Prynne and the
female protagonist of his own new novel, "The 19th Wife."
(Download as
PDF)
The Word, Visualized
by Siku
Siku, one of Britian's leading comic book creators and conceptualists,
explains how manga and comic books can be subject to censorship
and ridicule, as is the case with his new manga adaptation of
the Bible.
(Download as PDF)
(Not So) Funny in Farsi
by Firoozeh Dumas
Firoozeh Dumas recounts her experience with censorship in her
native Iran as the Persian edition of her book, "Funny in
Farsi," faced government scrutiny while becoming one of the
top-selling books in the country.
(Download as PDF)
The Censor's Perfect World
by Lloyd Jones
Novelist Lloyd Jones examines censorship in the context of how
Kafka was censored as well as the parental censorship in his book
"Mister Pip."
(Download as PDF)
International Writers Speak Out About
Censorship: A Q&A with Elizabeth Subercaseaux & Karen
Connelly
We queried two writers on their experiences with censorship
outside of the States, and to offer advice for budding writers
around the world.
(Download
as PDF)
Book Banning: Ouds, Oeuvres, and
Oppressors
by Donald Friedman
Author Donald Friedman profiles famous writers who turned to visual
arts to express themselves, often in reaction to the banning of
their written works.
(Download as
PDF)
Journalism, Media & Technology:
A Roundtable Discussion Featuring Adam Mansbach, Lee Siegel, and
Matt Taibbi
We asked three authors to grapple with some of the timeless
issues on the role of writers and media in a demoracy, as well
as some of the emerging challenges—and promise—of
new technologies
(Download as PDF)
Learning (and Unlearning) the Lessons
of Katrina: Sifting Through Myths, Distortions and Suppresed Truths
by Jed Horne
New Orleans reporter Jed Horne uncovers the distortions and information
suppression following Hurricane Katrina, and the subsequent effect
on the recovery, education system, and population of the city.
(Download as
PDF)
Wrestling with Joe McCarthy: A Historian
Reflects on McCarthyism & Its Legacy
by Susan Griffin
Historian Susan Griffin reminisces about her activism for free
speech in the time of Joe McCarthy, and the modern parallels of
government wire-taps for the sake of national security.
(Download as
PDF)
Disability or Difference?: One Aspergian
Author's Crusade to Change the Way We Think and Speak About Autism
by John Elder Robison
The author of "Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's"
talks about his life story and why it resonates so well with students
from all backgrounds.
(Download as PDF)
Ask for It: Teaching your Students—and
Yourself—to Negotiate
by Linda Babcock
Co-author of "Ask for It: How Women Can Use the Power
of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want" talks about
the book's broader message and how it can work not just for women,
but for all faculty—and even students.
(Download as
PDF)
Email
us to request a complimentary printed copy
of RHI: Censorship & Banned Books.
|
